Delicious High Protein Lasagne

Lasagne gets me thinking about Italy… Cheesy sauce, accordion music, red and white checked tablecloths. You might not have exactly the same vision but lasagne is a true crowd pleaser and one of those dishes that just make you sigh with happiness doesn’t it?

Traditionally, lasagne can be loaded with béchamel sauce which is certainly delicious, but high on the fat side of things. Then there are the sheets of pasta and cheese upon cheese.

Gorgeous but is it healthy?

That might seem like a good thing (and as an occasional food it really is) but for an everyday kind of dish, a few tweaks is all it takes to bump up the protein, reduce the fat, tick the nutrition boxes and turn it into the ideal recovery meal post exercise!

Delicious high protein lasagne is possible!

Perfect timing because there is a new protein rich kid on the block, which packs a serious nutrition punch. This little goodie is the humble lupin – a unique legume that contains 40% protein, 40% fibre with a small amount of carbohydrate and fat and is completely gluten free.

85% of the world’s crop of lupins are grown in Australia but they are available worldwide.

The magic ingredient? Lupin!

So after a bit of experimenting, we have High Protein Lupinsagne and it tastes fantastic! This recipe uses lupin flakes produced by The Lupin Co., which are so versatile and have so much to give our bodies, including a protein punch!

High Protein Chicken, Ricotta & Spinach Lupinsagne

Ingredients:

1-tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

2 x cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, grated

1 large zucchini, grated

1 x 400g tin canned, diced tomatoes

20 basil fresh leaves

500g lean chicken mince

1-cup chicken stock

1-cup lupin flakes

1kg reduced fat ricotta cheese

150g baby spinach leaves,

2 eggs, beaten

5 x fresh lasagne sheets

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Method

Cook the onion and garlic together in the oil until golden brown and then add the chicken mince and stir until cooked through.

Add the carrot, zucchini, tomatoes, chicken stock and basil, bring to the boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the mixture is reduced a little.

While the mixture is simmering, cook the lupins in boiling water and cook for 3 minutes and then drain and rinse in cold water.

Just before you take the chicken mixture off the heat – add the cooked lupins and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the spinach leaves in a microwave proof bowl into the microwave and cook for 1 minute until wilted slightly. Once cooled, squeeze out excess water and add to the ricotta along with the beaten eggs. Stir the ricotta mixture until smooth.

Spray a large lasagne dish with cooking oil and place some of the mince mixture on the bottom of the dish followed by lasagne sheets to fit and then half of the mince mixture on top of this followed by half of the ricotta mixture and repeat these steps once more finishing with the ricotta layer.

Cover with foil and cook in a moderate oven for 30 minutes, remove the foil, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and cook for a further 15 minutes.

About the Expert

Julie is a thought leader in peak performance and nutrition. She inspires others to achieve personal success by utilising strategies of wold class athletes and performers at the top of their game. Julie has partnered with many top performers across business, sport, politics, medicine and many other industries, helping them achieve the highest levels of personal and professional success. She is a qualified accredited Sports Dietitian and degree qualified in health promotion.
Julie is the author of two books and the resident performance expert on a top rating Australian radio show.
She loves to challenge herself by running marathons.